Who Has The Truth?
There's a fable about a father and son loading their donkey to go to market. They
have a great distance to travel, and they’ll pass through many small villages
along the way. They start off walking. When they get to the first village, they hear
someone say, “You’d think one of them would ride that donkey; they have such a
long distance to go.” So, the father puts his son on the donkey, and they proceed.
When they get to the next small village, they hear someone remark, “Look at the
young son riding the donkey making his older father walk.” So, the boy gets off
the donkey, and the father gets on. When they get to the next village someone
says, “You’d think they’d both ride that donkey.” So, they both get on the donkey.
In the next village someone comments, “Look at that poor donkey all loaded
down with the father, son, and their goods for market!” Now imagine the next
scene. The father ties the front legs of the donkey together. The son ties the back
legs of the donkey. And they carry the donkey to the next village. What’s the
moral of this story? (You can’t please everyone.)
But another very interesting question is, “Which villager was right?” Most
commonly, people say, “None of them.” But what I’d like you to consider is that all
of them were right. Every villager had a different opinion, and yet they all were
right. How could they all be different, and all be right? Because everyone has a
different truth. Everyone is different, and has had a different life experience about
what he or she believes is right or wrong. Who has the truth?
Excerpt from Doctor’s Orders: Go Fishing by Dean Shrock, Ph.D.